The dollar figures popped off the page last winter when Virginia Tech hired Buzz Williams to lead the Hokies’ basketball team. Few, if any, schools with such a modest tradition in a sport would commit not only $18.2 million over seven years to the head coach, but also $725,000 annually to his three assistant coaches.

That latter figure would have ranked Tech’s staff third among the ACC’s eight public schools in guaranteed compensation, ahead of past national champions North Carolina and North Carolina State. But that’s not how Williams, in concert with athletic director Whit Babcock, decided to allocate funds.

Last week the Hokies unveiled Williams’ team of three assistant coaches and five support staff, and in response to an open-records request, the school provided the salaries for assistants Isaac Chew ($260,000), Steve Roccaforte ($185,200) and Jamie McNeilly ($125,000).

The total of $570,200 is $154,800, or 21.4 percent, less than what was announced in March. It’s also sixth among the ACC’s eight public schools.

A primary reason was McNeilly, who played for Williams at the University of New Orleans and worked in various non-coaching roles throughout Williams’ six seasons at Marquette. As a rookie assistant coach, he did not command the salary of veterans such as Chew and Roccaforte.

But as Babcock explained Monday, the savings allowed Williams to add two positions to his support staff.

Here’s how it worked: In addition to the $725,000 for assistant coaches, Williams was allocated $325,000 for support staff, a total of $1,050,000.

Babcock said director of basketball operations Jeff Reynolds, director of player personnel Devin Johnson, director of student-athlete development Steven Thomas, assistant athletic director for sports medicine Ernest Eugene and assistant to the head coach Lyle Wolf will make a combined $387,500.

Thomas and Wolf are in newly created positions, and for the sake of fairness, not to mention Title IX compliance, Babcock said he added two administrative positions for women’s basketball coach Dennis Wolff.

The salaries for assistants and support staff total $957,700, or $92,300 under budget.

“I told (Buzz) I appreciate that,” Babcock said of the savings.

By the way, per open-records requests, here are the most recent assistant coaching salaries for the ACC’s public schools:

# Babcock also said he is convinced Williams did not mandate or initiate Tech’s recent roster turnover — five scholarship players have exited the program since March.

“While you would like to think none of it would happen, I believe it does when a new coach comes in with a new style,” Babcock said. “I certainly respect the student-athletes’ ability to go to school wherever they may want, but I feel as though our roster now will settle down and will move forward.

“It’s the nature of the business, but yes, any time you see a roster turn, you certainly want to keep your eye on it and make sure it’s for the right reasons. Coach Williams certainly has my support … and I don’t think it’s tremendously out of the norm.”

A 6-foot-11 sophomore from Indianapolis, Thompson figures to be the costliest loss. Quality big men are more difficult to find than guards, and even though his stats as a freshman — he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 16.2 minutes last season — were ordinary, he showed flashes, scoring 15 points against Duke and grabbing 12 boards versus Miami and Wake Forest.

# Look for more from my interview with Babcock online and in Wednesday’s Daily Press.

I can be reached at 247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP